


The Big City

by EmoSheep, purebl00d



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arendelle (Disney), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-06 04:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10325573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmoSheep/pseuds/EmoSheep, https://archiveofourown.org/users/purebl00d/pseuds/purebl00d
Summary: Kristoff has just moved to the country's capital, Arendelle. Here he will meet the man who he will fall in love with.





	

The first thing that hit him was the smell; it was musty, feeling thick against his nose. Metallic and Dirty.

He had expected to feel this, a sense of awe and a little bit shock. It was the capital after all. Stories of Arendelle’s prestige were ones that he had grown up with. Various strangers passed through his town, and whether tourists who lived in the city, or families returning from vacations, they had a lot to say on the subject. The city left a lasting impression on people, and Kristoff supposed he was finally seeing what the big deal is. 

Being a skeptical child, he often had trouble believing what the rare and few visitors had to say. He had of course seen pictures, but it was hard to imagine a place so entirely different from what he knew. And yet, here he was, experiencing first hand exactly what the visitors had struggled to convey in words. 

The train doors opened, and so he took his first steps into his new life. Everything here would be different, and hey, isn't that why he came here in the first place?

Sunlight abused his unaccustomed eyes. He supposed a 36 hour train journey could have this effect on people. His senses were overwhelmed; he could see more people before him than he had collectively met in his whole life. Strangers walked in every conceivable direction, each with their own goal and purpose. More than a little disorientated, he remembered that he needed to move. Being a bit taller then everyone had it's advantages, and he turned his stiff neck to scan the platform, until a waving arm caught his attention. Anna.

She walked up to him, and Elsa, unsurprisingly, followed suit. They had agreed to meet him when he first told them he was moving here. Kristoff found himself for the first in a while to be genuinely smiling; Anna always had found a way to cheer him up.

“Kristoff, it's so good to see you again! It's been so long.” Anna said, and man it really did feel good to hear her voice again.

“Yeah, must’ve been, what, six years now since we moved?” Elsa added. 

They were 12 when they left. Their decisions… shook the village, to say the least. Looking at them now, he could tell they were completely different people.

“Six years as of yesterday, actually, as I'm sure you well know. And yeah... I remember the exact date, Malidere was never the same once you left.” he replied. Keeping a straight face was easy, after all these years, but that statement really didn't do the truth justice. Things had changed. Drastically. Anna and Elsa, of course, had no idea what a hell the place had become. How could they? No one has been able to contact them since they left. No one that is, until kristoff.

“Aww haha, you couldn't have missed us that much! I can’t wait till we catch up, we have so much to talk about.” Anna continued, sliding Kristoff's arm in between hers. “We can get over to your new apartment. Oh! And help you unpack... Although by the looks of things you haven't got that much stuff…”

“Anna, have you forgotten what it's like back home?” Elsa chuckled, putting a stop to Anna's rambling stream. “Everything in general is much easier to come by here.”

“Of course you're right! I can't wait till we can show you all of the best shops, and get you out of these old clothes. No offense but you really do smell kind of bad. You can take a shower, and then we can go out for coffee-”

Elsa laughed, cutting her sister off as she fondly said, “Anna, maybe lets just get to his apartment first.”

As she said this, they reached the top of the staircase, and emerged from the underground. Kristoff felt his cheeks warm, privately embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't even realised they weren't on ground level. He had a lot to learn.

Arendelle definitely did not shy from it's reputation. Shops were everywhere that the eye could bother looking, selling every kind of merchandise that Kristoff could possibly think off… and many that he could not, he supposed; he had never heard of half this stuff. Buildings rose far above his head, truly giving the impression that they could, should they so wish, scrape the sky. He shuddered. Even a few months ago he wouldn't have ever dreamed of being able to stand where he was. 

They continued for a long while, changing bus until Kristoff gave up all hope of ever remembering the route they took.

He jolted awake when Anna finally announced their arrival “Hey, Kris, get up, that was our last stop and our last bus. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that”. And she was right, he was grateful for the news, as another wave of tiredness hit him. 

The city lulled tinted orange, dusk creeping around the corner. This area was far less crowded, altho he could tell that on the grand scheme of things they weren't too far from the centre. At least not if you compare it to the rest of the city. 

They continued on foot until something, or more like someone caught his eye. In a small shady alley way, between what he assumed to be two flats, sat a man. He had a sleeping bag pulled over him, and his head rested on a stack of newspapers. Kristoff was baffled. The parts of the man’s face that weren't covered by his bright red hair were scrunched in an uncomfortable grimace. He was no doubt cold, and tired. He looked dirty, and maybe even unwell.

“Why is he just sitting outside like this? Isn't he cold?” Kristoff asked, innocently oblivious to the world's most ugly aspects.

“Er no… he's homeless, Kristoff. He has nowhere else to go.” Anna replied.

“Oh…” he offered, dumbly. Anna resumed walking, but Kristoff refused to move.

The concept of homelessness has never occurred to Kristoff. Back in Malidere, if a person's home was destroyed due to a fire or some other tragedy, the village helped to rebuild it. As the population grew, everyone got together to expand the settlement. He knew that there were laws in Arendelle, ones that don’t apply to outside the city: laws about ownership, and building regulations. He never really listened to that part in school though, it bored him. Still, couldn't the man just go and build his own house?

“Why is nobody helping him? Surely I could get him to come round my home, help him or something. Help him find a job-”

“Kristoff you don't know him.” Elsa snapped “That's not how things work in Arendelle. He could be dangerous, you don't know what he's done to get him out on the streets.” she was conflicted about every word she said.

Anna continued, sadness lacing her words “it's true - you can't trust someone you’ve just met… I wish someone had told me that when I first moved here.”

Elsa sighed and pulled Anna into a quick embrace. Kristoff looked away. He learnt not to pry a long time ago.

With a heavy heart, Kristoff resumed following them, until they stopped not even half a minute later. “Well, this is it” Anna announced.

Kristoff shifted, suddenly nervous.

“So… do you guys want to come in or something? I doubt I could make you anything at the moment - but I'm sure we could use the time to catch up.” Dread pooled in his stomach. Just the prospect of the conversation made him feel sick, but he needed to tell someone, anyone. And Anna and Elsa definitely deserved to know. 

“Oh no no, me and Elsa were just planning on getting out of your hair, you probably want to rest after your journey. You have money don’t you? If you get hungry you can always go down to one of the nearby shops that we passed.”

Clearly sensing his disappointment, Elsa added “Yeah, and we can meet up tomorrow, to show you round and stuff. I guess we will come here, unless you want to take ur chances with finding each other in the centre?”

Anna beamed, excited “oo yeah, we can buy you clothes so you stop looking like a farmer. And how about a visit to your new work? You don't start until next week, but it might be useful to know where it is? Honestly, we will have enough time tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’d love that.” Kristoff replied. He could wait another day.

And so they left him, facing the door to his new life. 

Spacious, wasn't exactly a word that came to mind. Neither was cleanliness, to be honest. But it was his, and that's all that mattered.

He walked in and flung his one bag onto the bed, and sat on it's edge. It was a single room, with a bed, kitchen, and a single, small wardrobe. The wallpaper was peeling around the edges, showing the works of wear. The colour was nearly fully washed out - only the tiniest tinge of a light green was left. 

Suddenly, his own tiredness was the only thing that he could focus on. He lay down on his surprisingly springy bed, and closed his eyes. Maybe he really could use a rest…

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed!! New chapter shouldn't be too far away, but its exam season so you know how it is ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Likes and comments are always appreciated!!!


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